Starry Night
by Keishi
Summary: [light shounen-ai] Squall and Irvine spend some time together during a chilly starlit night (slightly revised)
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Squaresoft owns them, I just play around with them a bit.  
  
Warning: Shounen-ai, folks. Run now.  
  
~-~Starry Night~-~  
  
Squall walked along the small beach by the orphanage, huddled in his favorite bomber jacket. It was the dead of night, and as such, the heat of the day had dissipated into damp coldness. The sliver of beach was silvery by moonlight, black waves lapping gently at its edge. He let out a breath of air and watched it float away, disappearing into the starry horizon. He always thought this place most beautiful during the starlit hours.  
  
"Beautiful, isn't it?" A voice said from behind him, echoing his thoughts. A tall, honey-haired man stepped from the rocks to stand next to Squall. Irvine had suggested that the two of them come visit their old childhood home for the weekend, a comfortable chance for the two orphans to reacquaint themselves with the past. He, too, was huddled in his coat, hat tipped rakishly forward. "I've always loved this place," he continued when Squall said nothing.  
  
Leonhart nodded, 'hmm'-ing a response, though he wanted to say more. The pair stood like that for a few moments, looking out into the sea, the silence a companionable one. Irvine murmured something, but his words were lost to the wind. Squall halfway-turned to the sharpshooter questioningly.  
  
Irvine glanced at Squall out of the corner of his eye, then chuckled nervously. "I didn't, ah, realize I said that out loud." His lips curved up in a faint, sheepish grin.  
  
The Balamb Commander moved to face Irvine fully. "Actually, I didn't hear what you said. I only noticed you were saying something."  
  
"Oh!" Irvine laughed, surprised. He tipped his hat to one side in a gesture of nervousness, then shrugged. "It wasn't anything worth hearing anyway."  
  
Squall studied the sharpshooter for a moment, watching the way the chill wind blew loose tawny strands across his companion's cheek. He fought the urge to brush the hair back, to tuck it behind the taller man's delicate ear. "What did you say, then?"  
  
At that moment, Irvine did something that Squall _never_ thought he'd see him do-- he blushed. He blushed a bright scarlet, color splashing across his nose and cheeks, hardly muted in the moonlight. "I'm not going to say, if you didn't hear it the first time, Leonhart." There was no venom or reproach in his voice, only a blandness that Squall was certain masked _something_, some sort of emotion the honey-haired boy didn't want him to know about. The grey-eyed youth turned back to the water. If Irvine didn't want to tell him, he wasn't going to pry.  
  
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew up from the frothing waves, chilling Squall to the very bone. He shivered involuntarily, hands burrowing deeper in his pockets. Squall didn't want to go back inside, but he did not know how long his small, waist-length jacket could keep the cold at bay. He had almost turned to walk back up to the orphanage, when he felt a heavy, warm weight across his shoulders. Irvine's arm was slung around him in an amicable gesture, the sharpshooter's usual devil-may-care grin plastered across his delicate features.  
  
"Hey, you look cold there, buddy," he said, pressing Squall's shorter frame against his side casually. Squall tensed for a fraction of a second, then relaxed in Irvine's grip. They _were_ friends, he reminded himself, and Irvine was a physical person, who demanded touch in his relationships with others. This was nothing new, nothing he hadn't experienced before, Squall tried to convince his brain. He was halfway to believing himself, too, when Irvine spoke, breath tickling the stoic man's ear.  
  
"When I have nightmares, I think of this beach, these waves, and it calms me every time. This place is gorgeous during the daytime, but I think it becomes truly magical at night, don't you think?"  
  
Squall blinked at the sniper, then laughed. He tried to contain his chuckles, however, when he saw the indignant look on Irvine's face.  
  
"Hey..." Kinneas admonished. "I don't laugh at your dreams."  
  
'That's because you don't know my dreams,' Squall thought to himself. Out loud, he said, "I wasn't laughing at you or your nightmares. What struck me as funny was that I was thinking along the same lines before you came out here. I think this place is most beautiful at night, too."  
  
Irvine sighed contentedly, glancing at Squall, unconsciously hugging the brown-haired boy tighter. "I love the way the moonlight shines on the water. It wasn't this pretty a couple of weeks ago."  
  
"You were out here a couple weeks ago?"  
  
Irvine nodded, his chin nudging the side of Squall's head absently. "Selphie and I were, yeah."  
  
Squall 'hmm'-ed again, a smile tugging at his lips. He couldn't help but notice the infatuation in Irvine's eyes when he mentioned the energetic young girl. "You really like her, don't you?"  
  
"Among others," Irvine teased, his easy grin returning. "But yeah," he sighed, "I really do like her."  
  
"Well," Squall prompted. "Why don't you tell her?"  
  
"Leonhart, where have you been?" Irvine said incredulously. "I _have_ told her, in a number of ways."  
  
"Hitting on her incessantly, along with every other female, is _not_ telling her how you feel. That's just being a lech," he teased back, poking the sharpshooter in the side. Irvine barked out a surprised laugh, arm dropping from the shorter boy's shoulders as he defended himself from Squall's ticklish assault.  
  
"Woah there, horsey. This is certainly a side of you I haven't seen before." Squall dropped his hand at the words, face growing solemn. He hated it when he tried to open up to people, because they always called him out on it, as if he were being insincere. He turned toward the ocean, face as unreadable as marble.  
  
"Hey, Squall, don't do that," Irvine said gently, bringing a hand up to Squall's face. His fingers, rough yet gentle, slowly forced the grey-eyed man to face him again. "Don't close up, I like the playful you. True, I'm not accustomed to it," he continued, "but I'd like to be. Come on, Squall, look at me."  
  
Squall raised his gaze from Irvine's chin to his eyes, taking in their lavender warmth. He unconsciously inched forward, wanting very much to wrap himself in the heat that was the taller man. Irvine lowered his head, his ponytail swinging forward of it's own volition and brushing Squall's hand as it encased the one holding up his chin. Irvine softened his grip, fingers splaying in a gentle caress across Squall's jaw and upwards to his cheek. His fingertips caused little electric jolts to race down the grey- eyed youth's spine, and Squall couldn't tear his gaze away for anything at that moment.  
  
Irvine pressed his forehead to the shorter man's, closing his eyes briefly, then reopening them. He took in a deep, shaky breath; his hand clasped the back of Squall's neck as he peered at his friend, who looked like he was drowning. "Squall..." he whispered softly. "I don't know what's happening here, but I always feel closer to you than anyone else in our heroic little group. You are..." he trailed off, took another delicate breath. "You are my best friend, and I'm afraid I have feelings for you that run a bit deeper than friendship." Squall blinked at this, holding his breath.  
  
Irvine continued, "But I think I'm in love with Selphie, too. I cannot ignore the feelings I get around either of you, they're so similar, yet so... not. It's confusing." Irvine let go of Squall, turning and walking a few steps away from the stunned man. "One minute, I think I'm in love with you, the next, Selphie. I've made up my mind only to become confused again so many times, that I don't know where I am half of the time. I just wish I knew..." his voice faltered a bit, "I wish I knew where I stood with... with you."  
  
---- TBC. 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Squaresoft owns them, I just play around with them a bit.  
  
Warning: Shounen-ai, folks. Run now.  
  
_Chapter Two_  
  
This whole chapter is a flashback sequence.  
  
"Catch me, Irvy!"  
  
A russet-haired young girl ran to the edge of a huge boulder. Just as she was about to plummet to the sandy ground below, a pair of strong, young hands reached out and caught her. Little Selphie and little Irvine tumbled together in the sand, laughing and shouting gaily. They came to rest when they rolled into a pair of shoes strapped to one very serious-looking Squall Leonhart.  
  
"Guys," Squall admonished, small hands fisted on his hips. "We're supposed to be collectin' rocks for Sis, not playin' around in the sand."  
  
Selphie made a face, scrunching her nose up cutely. "Don't wanna c'lect rocks. 'Sides, playin' in the sand is more fun!" Irvine giggled, clasping onto Squall's arm and dragging him down into the sand with them. He began tickling Squall, who bubbled with laughter in spite of himself, futilely swatting at the offending hands. Selphie let out a high-pitched squeal, falling on top of both boys, and the trio began wrestling, sand flying everywhere. Soon Squall was pinned under both of his honey-haired friends, pleading mercy from their barrage of tickling.  
  
"Selphie, Irvine, quit tormenting Squall and come up here this instant!" came an authoritative voice from the distance. All three heads shot up at the sound, Selphie perched on Squall's chest while Irvine was frozen in place from tickling the backs of the stoic boy's knees. A bold young woman with long, raven hair was glaring sternly at them, though a smile tugged at her lips, unnoticed by the tussling trio.  
  
"Yes, Matron," Selphie and Irvine chorused disconsolately. They both scrambled off of Squall, who instantly missed their close company. Selphie ran up to Matron's side dutifully, but Irvine hesitated a moment longer. He turned quickly and brought his lips up to Squall's ear. "Don't forget about tonight," he whispered, making sure only Squall could hear him, though Selphie already knew what he was saying. He placed a quick, sandy kiss on Squall's cheek before running after the skinny girl. "See you later, Squally!" they both yelled as they trooped behind Matron, waving. Neither saw the smile gracing Edea's face as she gazed down at her orphans.  
  
--  
  
"Hurry, Squall!"  
  
Selphie waved the boy over. Squall looked apprehensively behind him at the imposing stone house, half-expecting to see Quisty or Matron peering out the window, catching him out of bed in the middle of the night. Clutching his basket in small hands, the silver-eyed boy hopped down the last rock onto the sand below, moonlight casting large shadows about the small beach. A second later, another body dropped down next to him.  
  
"Hey," Irvine said, grinning wide, his reddish hair muted to a soft gold in the darkness. He stood and held out a hand for Squall, helping the smaller boy to his feet. "Whatcha got there?" he questioned, surveying the large basket.  
  
Squall looked down inside of it. "Oh," he said, lowering his voice as they made their way over to where Selphie was impatiently waiting, tapping her foot. "Sis let me have this basket of flowers, so I thought I'd lace them together." Reaching the anxious girl, Squall dug in his basket for a moment. "Here, I made you this." He handed over a circle of flowers to the small girl.  
  
"What is it?" she asked, holding it up and peering through the ring.  
  
"It looks like a crown to me," piped up Irvine, plopping down in the sand. Squall nodded, taking it from Selphie and placing it gingerly on her head.  
  
"Oh! Thank you, Squally!" she squealed, lunging herself at the serious boy, wrapping her skinny arms about his neck. The pair tumbled backwards into the moonlit sand, Selphie laughing joyously, Squall with a goofy smile plastered on his face.  
  
Irvine just lay where he was, smiling quietly at his two friends. He picked up one of the clipped flowers from Squall's basket and began twirling it twixt thumb and forefinger, briefly inhaling it's sweet fragrance. When the sandy pair finally made it back to sitting positions, Irvine sat up and leaned over Selphie, sticking the white flower behind Squall's ear. Selphie giggled.  
  
Squall frowned at his friend, shaking the small bud out of his brown, sun- kissed hair. "I'm a boy, boys don't wear flowers in their hair," he said staidly.  
  
Selphie giggled some more. "Irvy'll wear flowers in _his_ hair, won't you, Irvy?" The aforementioned youth shrugged nonchalantly; Selphie took that as a yes. "An' _he's_ a boy," she stated, as if that settled things.  
  
Squall looked at Irvine for a minute, lips pursed cutely. He then reached into the basket and withdrew another flower, this one a large, violet- colored one. He stood up and positioned himself behind the honey-haired boy, twisting the long-stemmed bloom into a lock of Irvine's shoulder- length tresses. He sat back and admired his handiwork.  
  
"It is pretty," he said appraisingly, cocking his small head to one side. Selphie nodded enthusiastically, clapping her hands together. Squall took another flower, this one a paler lavender, and wove it as well through Irvine's tawny hair. Selphie joined in, and soon Irvine's long tresses were covered in a wide range of color, ranging from palest white, to brilliant orange and dusky red.  
  
There was one solitary flower left, a large white and blue one with wide, delicate petals. Irvine picked it up and sniffed at it before placing it in Squall's hair where the smaller one had resided. "It's only fair," he said seriously, as Squall made to pluck it out. "Sefie and I both have flowers in our hair." Squall, seeing Irvine's juvenile logic, let it stay.  
  
"Alright, now that we're all pretty, let's start celebrating!" Selphie mock-whispered excitedly, leaning towards the two bedecked boys.  
  
"Celebrate what, Sefie?" Squall asked, crinkling up his nose a bit in confusion. Irvine tossed him a toothy grin, but let the doe-like young girl answer the question.  
  
Selphie looked at Squall with wide eyes, barely able to contain her excitement. Finally, she flung her arms wide and said, "Happy Birthday, Squally!"  
  
"Sefie, you don't know when my birthday is. I don't even know that," countered Squall, brushing his brown hair out of large, silvery eyes.  
  
"It's your made-up birthday, then," Irvine interjected, fingering one of the flowers stuck close to his ear.  
  
"Don't wanna have a birthday," Squall said petulantly, crossing his arms in front of his chest.  
  
"Why?" This came from both Selphie and Irvine.  
  
"'Cause, that's just a 'me' celebration. I want an 'us' celebration." He made wide, sweeping gestures with his hands as if to include the other two.  
  
"Well," Selphie said thoughtfully, chewing on a ragged fingernail. "What kind of an 'us' celebration?"  
  
"Hey!" Irvine cried, shooting up from where he lay in the sand. "Let's have a wedding!" He grinned expectantly at his friends.  
  
Selphie looked at Irvine dubiously. "Who's gonna get married?"  
  
"You an' Squall could get married!"  
  
Both young orphans scoffed at this idea, Selphie saying "P.U." while Squall scrunched up his face as if he had just eaten a gysahl pickle.  
  
"Don't wanna marry Sefie, wanna marry you, Irvy," Squall pouted, tightening his arms across his chest.  
  
Irvine looked at Squall for a long moment. "I thought _you_ thought boys didn't do stuff like that."  
  
Squall shrugged. "I just said that boys don't wear flowers. 'Sides, why can't I marry you? Matron said that people marry the ones they love. Don't you love me, Irvy?"  
  
Irvine placed an arm around Squall's thin shoulders. "'Course I love you, Squally. I love all you guys."  
  
"Oh." Squall's face fell. He brightened up, however, when the honey- haired boy leaned toward him, whispering loudly in his ear.  
  
"I love you an' Sefie the mostest, though."  
  
"Hey, I have an idea!" piped up Selphie, her face lighting up. "Why don't we all get married! Like, the three of us marry each other!"  
  
Irvine grinned at the skinny girl, then turned to the boy next to him, thin face framed by the flower at his ear. "I like that. Whaddaya say, Squall?"  
  
"Ok," Squall agreed, nodding his head, looking from Selphie to Irvine solemnly.  
  
"Yay!" Selphie jumped up, clapping her hands. "Ok, well, we need flowers-- oh wait, we already got 'em. Um, well," she paused, scratching the back of her head. "I don't really know what goes on at a wedding." She looked at her two friends questioningly.  
  
"I don't either," Irvine drawled, still playing with his flower. Thinking, he pulled a dull blade out of the back pocket of his shorts. "We could, ya know, do a ritual-type-thingie," he finished slowly, fishing for words and coming up empty-handed.  
  
"What?" Selphie said. Squall looked at him dubiously.  
  
"Y'know, like in that one movie we saw, where the two boys did some kinda 'blood-brother' thing, where they cut each other and pressed their fingers together. Like that."  
  
"Yeah! An' we can make promises an' stuff!" Selphie squealed, warming to the idea, her words stringing together in her excitement. "Like how we'll never f'get each other n' that we'll always be there n' stuff!"  
  
Squall frowned at this, eyebrows knitting together in a look that would become his signature in the not-so-far-off future. "I dunno. How can we make promises like that? How do we know we can keep 'em? What if we promise all this stuff an' then one day one of us leaves the orphanage?" He looked worriedly down at the ground, swirling his finger in the pliable sand.  
  
Irvine cocked his head to the side to see Squall's downturned face. "I don't think that'll happen," he said softly, suddenly sounding years older. "And anyway, if it does, then we'll make a promise ta always come back for each other. Whaddaya think of that?"  
  
Squall nodded, silver eyes looking up at Irvine hopefully. Irvine smiled sweetly at him, taking Squall's hand in his own small one. He raised the knife, pressing it to Squall's thumb. Blood welled up easily to the surface. Squall drew a sharp breath.  
  
"Did that hurt?" Irvine asked, concerned. Squall bit his lip, but shook his head no. Irvine turned to Selphie.  
  
The skinny youth held out her hand eagerly, always ready for a new adventure. Irvine took it gently and repeated the act. Soon both Selphie and Squall had little pinpricks of blood on their thumbs.  
  
"Okay, me now," Irvine muttered, pressing the bloodied knife to his own hand. He slashed the blade down, red pouring instantly out of the tip of his thumb. "Oh, I think cut too deep!" he gasped as blood trickled down, reaching his delicate wrist. He brought the injured thumb up to his mouth, sucking noisily. Finally, he was able to get the blood flow under control, and looked at the others expectantly; holding his hand up to his chest, mimicking his friends.  
  
"Okay, now, I guess we should say some vows," Squall said quietly.  
  
Selphie wriggled in her seat, waving her uninjured hand in the air. "Oh, me first, me first!" When she got no objections, she took a deep breath, face growing solemn, crown of flowers silvery in the moonlight. "I promise to always tickle-glomp Irvy and Squally, and to always kick you guys' butts if you ever get outta line, an'..." she bit her lip, thinking. "An'... I promise to love you both forever an' ever an' _ever_!" she finished happily, warm eyes glowing softly at the two boys.  
  
Squall smiled at Selphie as Irvine reached over and gave her a one-armed hug. Her crown caught briefly in Irvine's hair, and it took the two a minute to untangle themselves.  
  
"Okay, Irvy, your turn!" Selphie said.  
  
Irvine took a deep breath, letting his gaze fall to his bloodied thumb, then looking at the young girl. "Seffie, I promise ta love you forever and ever, too. And I'll always tease you!" Selphie grinned at this. Irvine then swung his gaze to Squall, his large eyes glinting a silvery lavender in the moonlight. "Squall," he paused, staring intently at his friend, "I promise ta always be there for you, whenever you need me. An' I promise ta love you with all my heart. Well, most of it," he grinned, catching Selphie's miffed look. "And," his voice grew softer, "I promise if we ever, _ever_ get separated, I'll always come look for you."  
  
Squall bit his lip at the words, tears welling in his eyes. He grabbed at Irvine's hand with his own, squeezing hard. "Promise you'll never forget me." His face became desperate.  
  
Irvine leaned close to the smaller boy. "Never," he said adamantly.  
  
Selphie sucked in her breath at the sight of her two best friends. Somehow she knew, deep inside, that Irvine meant what he said with all his heart.  
  
Assured, Squall opened his mouth to begin his vows, but stopped. Finally, pressing his thumb to Selphie's first, then to Irvine's, he proclaimed simply, "I promise ta love both of you forever, and to always come back for you guys. I don't wanna say any others, because I'm not sure if I can keep 'em. Is that okay?"  
  
Selphie and Irvine both nodded gravely. They pressed their bloodied thumbs to one another's, and the russet-haired girl let out a whoop. "Yay! We're um, 'blood-bondeded' or something."  
  
Squall giggled at his friend. "'Blood-bound,' I think, is what you meant."  
  
Irvine grinned at both of them. "We're better than that. We're married to each other!" At that, Selphie laughed loudly, flinging her arms wide and embracing both her friends. She kissed them both sloppily on the cheek, Squall blushing and Irvine just grinning toothily, their eyes meeting over the honey-haired girl's.  
  
The trio spent the rest of the night out by the ocean, playing with flowers and watching the dark, hypnotic waves roll in and out.  
  
---- TBC. 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Squaresoft owns them, I just play around with them a bit.  
  
Warning: Shounen-ai, folks. Run now.  
  
_Chapter Three_  
  
Squall watched the knife as it rolled over and over in his bare palms, threatening to fall over the side each time, but being caught by his hands before it could. His callused thumb worried over the dirt encrusted onto it, wiping it away to reveal the owner's name etched along the side in crooked, childish lettering. He raised it up to the soft lamplight to get a better look; the blade was as dull as Irvine said it would be, the steel softly curving into it's casing. It was hard to believe that this dull knife was able to pierce anything, let alone the skin of his thumb. He laid it against his left thumb and tried cutting through the roughened skin, knowing the end result. It rubbed harmlessly, and Squall smiled slightly. Of course it wouldn't penetrate his callused thumb. He imagined his skin must have been much softer, more pliable when he was a kid; before he was taught about war, before he was taught how to kill. The thought sobered his expression, silvery eyes clouding back to their usual blue- grey.  
  
Irvine approached the gunblader silently, knowing Squall would sense him. "What are you thinking about?" he asked softly, his voice a quiet companion to the soft night.  
  
Squall turned to him, still clutching the knife, a rueful look upon his face. "Trying to remember..."  
  
Irvine smiled sadly, quirking one eyebrow as he watched himself toe the stone floor. "What it was like before Garden? What it was like to be innocent?"  
  
Squall nodded, his own eyes watching Irvine's boot as it slowly made circles along the rough-hewn stone. "Were we ever really innocent? I mean, we all came together through tragedy, not once but twice. That has to mean something, Irvine. All of us, united and then reunited, always under grim circumstances. I'm starting to believe I was born jaded; that I had no chance at a real childhood."  
  
In response, Irvine drew closer. He took Squall's ungloved hand, held it palm up. He cradled his thumb, angling it to shine in the soft light, searching it. "Right... here. Look, Squall."  
  
Squall peered down to where Irvine's own finger was gently running along the side of his thumb. There was a faint line, faded and marred by a callus, curving gently, a forgotten memory. Squall's mouth quirked up in a genuine smile. "I always thought I had somehow gotten that at Garden."  
  
Irvine answered his smile, carefully watching the gunblade specialist inspect his own hand. "No," he said softly. "That's from your promise to us. To Sefie and me. Here, look at mine." He held his own hand under Squall's gaze.  
  
The thumb, although just as rough as Squall's own, sported a much more prominent scar. The line was shiny and pink; the cut looked like it must have been pretty deep when it happened. It, too, had faded over time.  
  
Squall ran a finger over it, noting how soft the scar tissue felt under his touch. He angled Irvine's hand until his own thumb was pressed next to the sharpshooter's, comparing. They were almost identical, one curving to the left, the other larger and to the right. "Does Selphie still have her scar?" Squall wondered aloud.  
  
Irvine shook his head. "No, hers faded completely away; but she remembers that night... sort of." His voice sounded sad.  
  
Squall looked up into muted lavender eyes for a second before Irvine averted his gaze. He wanted to comfort the cowboy, but hadn't a single clue how to go about it. Instead, he dropped Irvine's hand and sat down on the single bed left in the whole orphanage. He rubbed at the scar on the bridge of his nose and regarded the sniper through his long bangs.  
  
Irvine moved back to lean against what remained of one wall, still huddled in his coat despite the roaring fire warming the slightly renovated stone house. The pair just looked at each other for a long moment, the silence palpable. Finally, Squall cleared his throat.  
  
"I can't believe I had forgotten all of that, but it's coming back to me... in pieces. I remember," he drew his eyebrows together, frowning, "the next day, Ellone left the orphanage."  
  
Irvine slid down until he was sitting on the floor. "Yeah, and a week later, Quistis was adopted and I was sent off to Galbadia Garden. I assume Selphie was sent to Trabia not long after."  
  
"I'm pretty sure she left a few days after you," Squall agreed, remembering. "Zell had been adopted the year before." He shook his head. "Seifer... he was the first to leave for Garden. I followed six months later." He looked over at Irvine. "I was the last to leave," he said, astonished.  
  
Irvine shifted, moving closer to the bed until his chin was resting on the blanket at the foot of it. "I wonder a lot. Y'know," he clarified when Squall look at him quizzically, "about why Selphie and I were sent to different Gardens, but all the rest of you ended up at Balamb G. Doesn't that seem strange?"  
  
Squall considered it for a minute. "I never thought about it before. I don't think it was deliberate, if that's what you mean. Zell and Quistis weren't sent to Garden from here; they were adopted." He shrugged. "No one could predict they'd end up at Balamb."  
  
"Except fate." Irvine's face held a scowl.  
  
Squall looked at Irvine for a long moment, face unreadable. "I thought you didn't believe in fate."  
  
"I..." Irvine hesitated, looking around the room. How many nights had he spent in that very bed as a child, huddling under the covers, waiting for the closet monster or some other imagined fear to attack him? He had always been too much of a coward to leave the bed, and too prideful to call for help. "I'm not sure anymore."  
  
Squall nodded, shifting to lay on his stomach, his arms propping his head up. He looked at the cowboy openly, unguarded for a change. "What's making you change your mind?"  
  
"You," Irvine answered honestly, "and Selphie. And on a completely different level, Zell, Quistis, Ellone, and even Seifer. You've all made me rethink a lot of things I took for granted. Like friendship."  
  
Turning his head to one side, Squall looked out into the star-filled night. "I know what you mean," he murmured. He flicked his gaze back to Irvine when he felt the Galbadian sit down on the other side of the bed.  
  
"Squall..."  
  
The commander turned to face Irvine, propping up on one elbow. "Yeah?"  
  
Irvine kept flicking his gaze from Squall's face back to the bed, fingers drawing random patterns along the blanket's surface. Irvine fidgets when he's nervous, apparently, thought Squall. He waited patiently for the Galbadian to continue.  
  
Clearing his throat lightly, Irvine asked, "Have you... thought... about what I said earlier?" He squinted warily at the man next to him, biting his lip.  
  
Squall looked out in front of him, letting out a breath. "I have."  
  
Irvine blinked. "...And?"  
  
Pursing his lips together, Squall sat up slowly on the bed. He swung his legs over and looked at Irvine intently. "Are you being serious?"  
  
"As a heart attack. Look, Squall I'm not asking for a relationship, Hyne I'm not even asking for a date. I just want to know if I've destroyed one of the best friendships I've ever had because of my feelings." The words were rushed, and Irvine's face was flushing, a worried look in his eyes.  
  
"Why did you tell me if you didn't want anything from me?"  
  
Irvine bit his lip, and Squall suspected it was to keep from crying. "That's not it. And I couldn't _not_ tell you, it would've eaten me up inside to have kept it from you any longer." Irvine's voice was getting lower and lower, as he unconsciously hugged himself. "I've screwed everything up, haven't I?"  
  
Squall looked at Irvine, wanting to tell the cowboy what he wanted to hear, to make the pain go away. But he couldn't. "Irvine... I'm with Rinoa." The words were soft, slow, and sounded just a bit regretful.  
  
Irvine took a breath. "I know." His voice caught and he closed his eyes for a moment, swallowing. "I'm not asking anything from you. I'm just telling you how I feel and wanting to know if we can still be friends in spite of it all."  
  
Squall tentatively took one of Irvine's hands in his own. "Of course we can."  
  
Irvine's eyes opened. "Does this change anything?"  
  
Squall sighed. "I don't know," he answered honestly.  
  
---- TBC.  
  
Notes: Decided to go ahead and post this here despite my newfound policy on not posting unfinished stories because, well, I was really happy the way this chapter turned out and I know I'm not going to be changing it anytime soon. Hope y'all like it as much as I do! Au revoir! 


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